Passenger's Seat
by chloraseptic
Summary: After a car accident involving her exboyfriend Max, Casey fails to remember anything from her previous life, including Derek. Will he take this new shot to show her that he loves her, or will he screw this up too? [[DASEY]] [[LIZWIN]]
1. Un

Passenger's Seat- A Life with Derek FanFic

**AN- **I am in a Dasey fix, so enjoy! If you have any suggestions, let me know because I will take them!

Un-

I do believe that it was Derek's fault to begin with. He came home late from hockey practice with a nasty cough and worried my mom almost to death. He was a "trooper" as Edwin so calmly put it, and for the first time in half a decade Derek had an actual reason to be staying home from school that day. Or week, as I should say, because he prolonged his "sickness" that long. By the time he was well, everyone else in the house caught the sickness, including me.

George put it simply: we were in quarantine. So I was stuck in that house while Derek got to enjoy the spirit week that I helped to put together. I missed not only the biggest pep rally a cheerleader (like myself) could ever participate in, but also the dance I had been looking forward to since my relationship started with Max.

So when I was finally better, I went on the rampage. I needed to catch up with the five days of classes I missed, and all my friends were gone for fall break. So I was, once again, stuck with Derek.

He was mastering a new song in his room when I found him. He jumped when I walked in, and I was about to point out that I scared him when I realized that it was one of the first times I saw him with an actual smile on his face. Or was it just a hidden smirk?

"Sup Kleenex?" he said, setting his guitar on its holder and putting his headphones on his desk. His smirk emerged from that perfectly good smile and ruined the moment. "Did you miss the bathroom? Cause its two doors that way," he said, pointing his finger out the door, "and I can't stand for my room to be smelling like you."

"Oh yeah?" I said, sitting down and rubbing my butt all over his sheets. He shuddered, but other than that looked unfazed.

"Seriously though." He said, grabbing my arm and pulling me off his bed and adjusting the sheets back to their previous nature. I noticed how strong he was, and how rough his hands were against my skin. "What do you want?"

"Your notes. From all the classes last week." I said, crossing my arms. He laughed his signature full belly laugh and looked at me with a stern glance.

"You really think that I take notes?" he said, fixating his behind into his desk chair.

"Well, I would assume that's what you are writing when you are in class. Or is it," I said, picking up the picture of Marla, his new girlfriend, off his desk. "Was it a love note?"

Derek snatched the picture from my hand and put it in his desk drawer. He reached for his unopened backpack and pulled out a binder. "Lose it and die." He said, putting it safely in my hands.

"Why would I ever lose something of yours?" I said. He followed after me and slammed the door behind me.

I entered my room and got straight to work. I opened the binder to the section labeled English and looked through it. Yeah, it wasn't as neat as mine, and his had hockey plays written on the sides of the sheet, but his penmanship was something else. I always thought that he would have messy, ugly, scrawly, illegible handwriting, but it was clear and in a block style. I flew through English and onto many other classes till I got to the very last section. I pulled my sticky notes off the desk and onto my hand, so I could easily file them away.

The last section wasn't labeled, and I didn't think twice when I opened it. I caught my breath though. It was filled with some of the most beautiful poetry I had ever seen. It must have been the song he was working on when I entered. And he was only afraid because he didn't want me to find out about it.

But if he didn't want me to figure out about it than why did he give it to me? I didn't have time to think though, because Derek burst into my room. "Are you done yet?" he asked. He was all ready to go to hockey practice, and he looked different to me. Instead of seeing the lazy boy I was so used to seeing, I saw a man. I slammed the binder shut and handed it to him. I smiled a quick smile and breathed a thank you before I slammed the door. I leaned against the door and sighed. I looked down at my hand and realized my sticky notes were no longer on my hand. Panic filled my veins. I knew where they went: into Derek's binder.


	2. Deux

**AN- This is the last chapter of the prelude, then we are getting to work. . .**

**And no, I do not own LWD, but if I did I would be the happiest girl in the world. . .**

Deux-

It wasn't till fourth period the following day when Derek opened his binder to take out his homework did he noticed the sticky notes. Looking up, he saw Casey just a few seats in front of him. He smiled, and realized she must have been embarrassed last night. His smile even stayed on his face when Casey turned around to look at the clock and caught a glance of him. Of course, he tried to hide it but it ended up making his face look quite disproportioned.

After class, Casey was waiting for him in the hallway. "What was so funny?" she casually asked him. She soon found out though, because he stuck a sticky note on her binder and walked away. She looked down and saw Derek's scrawly writing.

_**Hey Klutz:**_

_**Leaving early for a "doctors appointment." If you want a ride home then you better be out front by one.**_

_**-D**_

PS: thanks for the notes 

Casey started panicking. "What did I put on those notes?!" she asked herself out loud. Suddenly an arm wound its way around her waist and kisses were placed on her neck. She knew who it was.

"Max!" She cried. It was a little schoolgirl cry though, and it prompted Max to grab her books.

"Hey what are you doing this afternoon?" Max said, as he opened the door to the cafeteria for Casey. She smiled sheepishly and nearly turned cherry red.

"I've got to leave early. Derek's got a 'doctors appointment.'" She even did the air quotes as they sat in the atrium on the opposite side of the cafeteria.

"I'll give you a ride home. After all, we need to talk about what we are going to do for the upcoming winter holidays!" Max sounded so excited, and Casey knew that Derek wouldn't miss her, so she said yes.


	3. Trois

AN: I would love to say THANK YOU! To all the people that reviewed. You made me one happy person. It was awesome to know that so many of you listen to my rants

**Oh, and if you haven't already read it, read any of n1co1e's stories. [she's in my favorite authors 3 she inspires me, and I hope she inspires you all!**

**Oh, and check out a song called The Best Thing by Reliant K. It may come useful in future chapters. [freakin' hint hint!**

**Oh and ps, I might not write if I don't get reviews. So lets keep them comin'!**

**Oh and Say Anything has been inspiring me! So listen and get the feel!**

**Well, rant over, Dasey isn't though!**

Trois-

Derek enjoyed the days when he skipped. No one was ever at home, thus allowing him to be able to chill out in his house all by himself. He sat in his chair and relaxed. As he sat there mindlessly flipping through the channels, he wondered why Casey didn't meet him at the car that day. The just let it pass though, because he knew that she was in a relationship with her grades.

And what was the deal with the new fascination with Casey? He could have sworn that he gave up those feelings when she started to date Sam. After all, he wasn't a jealous boy, and defiantly wasn't going to waste his time on someone that wasn't up to his standards.

But gosh, when she came into the bathroom in the morning wearing next to nothing he felt his heart leap. He thought back to that movie his last girlfriend dragged him to. She said that love was often mistaken for loathing. But Derek was so sure that he really didn't feel anything for his stepsister.

He didn't even know that he fell asleep till Marti was jumping on him. He rubbed his eyes and whispered her name as she dragged him out of the chair. Looking at the clock, it read almost eight o'clock.

_Well, I might as well go upstairs and pretend to do my homework, _he thought to himself. When he reached the top of the stairs, he looked in Casey's door way. The light was still off and her bed was made. In fact, it looked like she hadn't even been home that day.

A surge of panic flowed through his veins, but let it pass. He knew that she was probably hanging with Max. Speaking of Max, he found one of his jerseys in his pile of clean clothes outside of his door. Was that jealousy, knowing that the jersey is what Casey slept in when she was seeking comfort at night?

Nora called up the stairs for him and he flew down them, hoping she had saved him some remnants for dinner.

"Have you seen Casey today? I'm afraid I have no idea where she is." Nora said. The worry in her voice scared Derek, and he got his keys.

"I don't know where she is, but I'm going to Smelly Nelly's." The lie was good enough for him, and obviously good enough for Nora. She nodded, and proceeded to call some of Casey's friends.

Derek loved driving. It seemed to calm him down a lot more than anything else did. He blared his music and tapped along to the beat. If he hadn't have wanted to change the CDs he wouldn't have saw the sight in front of him.

Max's car was stuck in the ditch. It looked like it flipped a couple of times and rolled off the road. Two trees lodged themselves in the side windows, and there was a door about fifty feet away.

Derek's never done a parallel park before, and he didn't try now. In fact, he stopped in the middle of the road and jumped out.

Derek Venturi is known for running fast. Hell, he's known for a lot of things, but most defiantly for his speed, in all areas of his life. He looked at the damage, and noticed that two bodies lay inside.

_Let her be okay, _he thought to himself. He didn't even double cross that sentence in his head. He noticed that the air bags never went off, and that they must have been flying around like sock puppets in there.

When he got around to Casey's side, he saw that they were both beaten up pretty badly. Derek didn't think that Max was still alive, but he knew that Casey was still breathing, for when he came over to open up the door, she called his name.

"Derek." She said quietly, as if she was silently screaming. "I'm glad you came."

Derek swore under his breath, and attempted to open her door, but it was caught. He dialed 911 and then repeatedly tried to open the door.

"Casey." He said, his tone aggravated and antsy. "I can't get you out!" He was screaming now, to all the owls and birds that were flying overhead.

"Its okay Derek. I think I'm just going to take a nap." Casey said, resting her blood stained forehead on the side of the seat.

"No, its not okay!" he said, and with that he took the last bit of energy he had from all his failed efforts and pulled her through the window. Her arm moved a couple of funny ways, and blood was pouring out of the back of her head. He used his favorite hockey sweatshirt (that he had been wearing) and wrapped it around her head. He continued to climb up the hill to the road.

"Derek." Casey said, letting her voice fade. "Really, I think all that excitement made me a bit sleepy."

"No!" Derek screamed, looking at his now blood stained clothing. "No stay awake. Talk about something with me." When she didn't reply, he shook her and called her name. He could hear the ambulance coming, and no doubt, her mother.

"Derek." Her voice was so quiet, it sounded like she was already in dream land. "I love you."

Those words shocked him. Long had he felt that way about her, since the day they met and those feeling have been growing every time they bickered or complained. Ye he didn't even get a chance to say them back, because she nodded off, head slumping way off his arm.

Like it hate it? Let me know PLEASE! Otherwise I might get writers block or something!

** 33333333333333333333**


	4. Quatre

**AN: Gosh, I am love with you all. In one day I got so many reviews it made my heart soar! Please keep it coming, because I need support to make me want to keep going!**

**PS: I might be slow updating because I have another fanfiction running about Hannah Montana. I would appreciate if all of you would check it out as well. Its like a basic love story, so even if you don't like Hannah, you'll like it. I hope anyways!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own LWD. If I did I would not be writing about Derek and Casey, I would be writing about ME and Derek!**

Quatre-

Derek felt like he was in a dream. The EMT's rushed to hook both Casey and Max up to the life support machines as they drove down the road. Derek held Casey's hand, squeezing it in hopes of pushing blood throughout her body and keeping her alive.

"Casey, don't die on me." He said, a tear dropping from his eye. Where was this coming from? He never cried. So why now? Was it, because…no he couldn't. But he did, and he said it.

"Casey, don't die. I love you too." He sighed, and the words lingered in the air. He was the only one that heard it though, between both the busy EMT's and the people near death. Or dead. Derek wasn't sure.

He felt drunk as he exited the ambulance and into the hospital. Everyone was moving fast, and he was walking so slowly. He looked up into the sky and saw that it was bright blue. _Like Casey's eyes, _he thought, as the receptionist pulled him inside.

"Is there anyone you can call?" she asked him, with a too big smile on her face. He nodded and grabbed the phone.

"Nora," he said, as he picked up the line. "I found Casey."

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

The whole family was waiting in the lobby to hear news about Casey and Max, though Derek just wished for Casey. Max's parents were also in the room, but Derek didn't go to talk to them. Something about being in love with their son's girlfriends sounded so Maury to him.

When the doctor came out, he had a grim face. All the fifteen or so people gathered around him to hear the news.

"Well, as you know, when we found the victims they were already in bad condition." The doctor used the word "victim" so loosely and it hurt Derek. "We are afraid that the male died from blood loss." Max's parents burst into tears, and Lizzie and Edwin went to comfort them.

"And the Girl?" Nora said. "What is to become of the girl?"

The doctor sighed and looked through his records. "She's in critical condition. But she is alive. With one mishap."

Nora looked on the edge of her seat, and so was Derek. The doctor continued.

"She has no memory of the accident or anything before."


	5. Cinq

**AN: Woah. Did anyone like that last one? Not many reviews, but thank you for those who did review. Please keep them coming, because I need support to make me want to keep going!**

**And also, I might not be on for a while, so I'm updating now. My Internet is going to be shut off for a while because the modems keep going down and the company doesn't know why. Oh, and I've already written the ending, so I'm just going to have to build up to it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own LWD. I'm not that kind of possessive girlfriend. . .**

Cinq-

Nora weeped and George tried to comfort her. But Derek didn't show his emotions. Well, not the SAME emotion.

"Will she get it back?" Derek asked, as Marti started to hug his leg. The doctor looked at him and did a half smile.

"There is a good chance that she will. Nothing is for sure in the medical world though. We just have to keep reminding her of all the good things that happened in the past and hoping that she'll remember."

"Can we see her?" Lizzie asked, holding Edwin's hand. Edwin didn't squirm. In fact, he squeezed harder.

"Yes, you may, but one at a time. Remember that she still is in a semi comatose state."

The family lined up, and one by one they entered the room, spending about ten minutes alone with Casey. Derek waited at the end of the line. He didn't complain. He had to wade through his emotions.

Did he love her? Why did he feel so bad when she came here? Why does he feel empty now? Doesn't he know how annoying Casey is?

But when she smiles. Derek could feel a genuine smile filling his face. He looked down trying to hide it and found that he was next in line after Edwin. When his time came, he walked in solemnly.

Casey looked like she had been through hell and back. The spots where just earlier blood lay were now clean, revealing bruises the color of blueberry juice. Her skin looked so pale, and it took everything Derek had to not reach out and hug her right then and there.

He sat beside her and held her hand. After about five minutes he opened his mouth.

"Casey, about what you said on the highway. I'm sorry I never said it back. I wish I would have known how serious this was going to be." Where was this all coming from? Was this the Derek Venturi that everyone knows and despises? Or is this the Derek Venturi Casey McDonald had turned him into?

Casey stirred in her bed, frightening Derek. She opened her eyes halfway, the bruises preventing her from getting any farther.

"Casey," He said, rubbing her knuckles. "Hi!"

Casey snatched her hand away from him and opened her mouth to scream. But Derek's hockey reflexes were too quick for her. His hand lay over her mouth.

"Casey, its Derek. Do you not remember me either?" What a dumb question, he thought to himself. Of course she didn't remember him. She freakin' lost her memory! Derek sighed and continued. "Listen, I'm your stepbrother. And I'm going to do everything in my power to help you remember the rest of your family."

A smile crept across Casey's face, and it melted Derek's heart. He held his tongue, for he was about to open his mouth and say something immature and rude. He decided though, that he was going to make her remember everything she had said that day, and he was going to do it the nice way.

"Now we are going to start by filling you in on your past life." Derek said, opening the book Casey had in her book bag. He located the book bag when he went back with the police after the accident. The book was basically a giant scrapbook Casey had been working on since she was five years old. Hopefully that was going to make her remember something.

"Now this, this is your old house in Toronto." He started, and continued on for hours.

The whole time Casey smiled, wishing she could remember the people in those portraits, and most of all, the guy who was telling her all about them.


	6. Six

**AN: Gosh guys! Thank you a lot to my readers that reviewed again! And for you people that are reading and not reviewing PLEASE let me know what you are thinking! I really do appreciate your opinion, and I take it into consideration. **

**Also, to all of you that said I needed to make my chapters longer, I will. I've been trying to make them longer but leave you will some suspense. I'll defiantly try harder now guys (and girls!)**

**This chapter was one of the harder to get out. I don't seem to know why. Maybe its because I have been working backwards from the end (which is done along with the chapter leading up to it.) Grrrrr. **

**Told in Derek's POV if you get confused. I think I love Derek enough to let him control this… Also, I'm basing his view on one of my good ex-guy friends that acts EXACTLY like Michael Seater in the show. deep sigh. Too bad that relationship is over. We could have been good together. **

**READ AND REVIEW PUH-LEASE!**

**I'm setting the limit at fifteen. When I get fifteen reviews, you'll get your chapter.**

**[lets see how this goes!**

Six-

It was a few days after the accident. Nora and George tried their hardest to make life go back to the way it was so that when Casey came home everything would be normal. Unfortunately for us, that meant cleaning the entire house. I don't like cleaning. In fact, most of the time I was sitting over at Emily's house. We were "bonding" (or that's what I told my parents.) In actuality though, we were talking about Casey.

"I would hate to not have any memory during my senior year. " Emily said one day, as we sat on her back porch, watching our youngest siblings rough house in the dirt. She brought along a bag of gummy worms for me, and I was pleased, well, for that moment in time. That was, till she brought up Casey.

"Yah I know." I said, through a mouth full of tie-dyed artificially flavored worms. I tried to be all low key about the fact that we were talking about Casey here. I tried to be old Derek, but it didn't work.

Since that night, I have not been able to keep in touch with old Derek. It was as if he went off on a trip to some third world country that didn't have a way to send postcards to and fro. So now I was stuck being sensitive Derek.

Personally though, we weren't getting along.

Sensitive Derek was worried about how in just five minutes or so, his step sister was going to be arriving from the hospital after spending a good amount of time in the Psycho Ward trying to figure out anything about the accident or the events leading up to it.

Meanwhile, Evil Derek wanted to push Casey down a flight of stairs.

But the ladder was excused from thought while Sensitive Derek toke over.

While in this process of thinking, Emily got up and walked over to the side of the house. She had been gone a while, and I could here happy shrieking. Thus I knew what was going on. After all, I'm not a complete loser. I do understand some things.

So I pulled my leather jacket on and walked over to the clearing between our two homes. Sure enough, there was Casey, standing against the car as George brought her bags inside. She was giving her friend the same smile she gave strangers; a very quiet polite one that edged the stranger to move on to their next victim. But then she saw me.

Was that happiness I saw flicker through her eyes or was it my imagination. For a while I've been hoping that's what she thought of when she saw me. I knew for a fact though, that she did love me. Or she did. Or was in the process of falling back in love with me.

I hate not remembering almost as much as I hate not being able to eat pizza in the living room on Game day.

Which brought me to point B. What the heck was I thinking when I told her I loved her back in the hospital. Was it sisterly love or was it like the love I felt for Kendra all those years ago?

I didn't need to think about this though. I had a game in just a few hours and that needed my complete attention.

I waltzed over to Casey in the same way I approach a girl when I'm at a party. I've got to say, for a girl that just got out of the hospital and can't remember what articles are in style, she looked pretty fine. She was wearing a silly little blue shirt I know the old Casey would have never worn. It flattered every one of her curves (oh gosh why am I looking at my step sister the way I look at the girls in my class?) and even showed some of her stomach. I had to laugh though, as I looked at her jeans. They were baggy and looked like a pair of my jeans. Then I looked harder. They were my jeans!

"Hey!" I said, as I finally got close enough. "Are those my jeans?!" I couldn't help but feel bad when I saw the hurt in her face. I had to fix it…"Nah," I said, correcting my self and nudging her shoulder. "They make you look good."

She smiled again, this time though the smile was aimed towards the floor. I pulled her chin up and winked at her, clearly being a little flirtatious.

I just had to remind her how she loved me, at all costs.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Casey was sitting in her room that night all alone. I knew this because the entire time she was in her room, I was sitting outside her door watching her. She clearly did not understand her heaps of homework. I couldn't stand it any longer, (and also Edwin and Lizzie were looking at me suspiciously,) so I walked inside her room after knocking.

"What the heck is this?" She asked me, being a polite as she could have been. Yet I knew that just from her tone, she was confused. I sat down beside her. She was looking at the homework that our teacher just gave the answers to. I knew I could help her.

"Here, let me show you." I said, guiding myself closer to her, grabbing the work and settling myself next to her on the floor.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

For the next two and a half hours, we sat there and did homework. Actually, it wasn't till Edwin yelled at me that I would be late for hockey did I make any motion of getting up. I was comfortable just sitting next to her, and watching her blush anytime my skin touched hers. Maybe she remembered that she loved me. Even if that was just a thought deep inside her soul, I was happy about it. I laughed and stood up. She smiled bashfully, as if the last two hours was a sin to her.

"Thanks for helping me. Now that I'm caught up I would like to go to your game." I cannot say that this didn't catch me off guard, because it did. It was just that Casey never wanted to go to my games before. Why the sudden change of heart?

Oh yeah, she couldn't remember the fact that she didn't like my hockey games.

So was it a surprise when I told her that she hated hockey? No. The real surprise is that she actually said she didn't remember, thus couldn't be held against her previous actions.

Touché.

So I told her to dress warm and that I would be back from getting my stuff in a few minutes. When I came back though, I found her in a tank top and shorts. I just had to laugh though. She was quite entertaining when she wanted to be. I ran to her closet and threw her a pair of jeans (once again, they were mine…so this is where they kept disappearing to…) and a jacket. It wasn't especially cold outside, but since my sixteenth birthday, I've saved up enough money to buy a convertible. I loved it, and especially loved the way that girls migrated towards it when I went on road trips with Sam. We jumped in quickly, now that we only had a few minutes to get halfway across the town. She laughed as I cranked the tunes and started to pull out of the driveway just to be stopped by Emily.

"Can I come?" She asked, mid laugh. She brought scarves (a must have as a convertible driver) so I had to let her in. She sat in the back. It was a good thing too, because her scarf kept flying behind me.

Meanwhile, Casey didn't laugh for a while after the car started, even though I upped my coolness. I didn't understand her sometimes. But then it came back to me. (Yes, blame my guy brain.)

The last time she rode in a car was when she was in an accident. The same accident that caused her to lose any memory of me and the rest of her friends. So I slowed down and turned the music down some. I saw that her fingers loosened up around her armrest. I reached out and latched my free hand on hers, giving it a squeeze and throwing her a smile. She laughed though, and squeezed my hand back.

I think that she's falling back in love with me.

AN: Was that good enough? Heck, it was good enough for me, and also for my heart, who thinks they belong together. But we'll see in the future chapters.

**R E A D A N D R E V I E W U N L E S S Y O U W A N T T O M A K E M E S A D**


	7. Sept

**AN: Thanks for the 15 reviews! Here's your story! Just keep it coming! **

**I'm also starting a blog with bonus stuff later, so pay attention. It will rock!**

**Thanks so much for waiting guys…my life has been so busy and I haven't had a second to myself, let alone to worry about Casey and Derek. But now I do, so…**

**PS: I thought about it and I think that Casey needs to have her view in the story. Not necessarily her POV but defiantly where she is coming from. **

**Oh: and I don't own LWD but I defiantly wished I owned Strange Days. He was hotter when he was on there. NOT!**

Sept-

Emily and Casey exited the stadium laughing. "So that's why I hate hockey!" Casey said, exasperated and red-faced. "I don't think I've EVER been that bored in my life." Then Casey stopped laughing. For the last hour or so she didn't think about how she couldn't remember anything about her previous life. Emily sensed this feeling also, so she quickly talked over it.

"Yeah, I don't think Derek's played that well in a while." She elbowed Casey.  
"What did you do to him?" Casey smiled sheepishly and Emily pulled her outside to wait. It had started to snow a bit since they arrived, and Casey realized she didn't bring a jacket with her. Her teeth were chattering and her lips were blue when Derek finally showed up. He was laughing with Sam and some other guys from his team, and Casey felt jealous. Sure, she saw all their pictures in the book that Derek showed her, but she couldn't remember one of the memories that once made her smile.

Sam noticed them first and ran up to give Casey a hug. He smelt good, like some Irish Spring soap and the hair gel that Derek used that morning. Casey took a big breath in, as Sam pulled back.

"Dude, Casey, I'm so sorry about Max. He was such a great guy." Casey smiled at him but couldn't show the same concern. _I bet he was a great guy, if I could just remember him. _She thought to herself.

Derek came up and whisked Casey and Emily away. "Hey Sam I'll see you tomorrow night 'kay?" Sam nodded and turned back to the rest of his crew, that was now inhabited with a bunch of girls wearing clothes that were not appropriate for a Canadian winter's night.

Casey and Emily were laughing the whole way home. Maybe it was the funny faces that Derek was making at them or the lame music that they were listening to. At any rate, they were home in no time.

Casey looked up at the sky and noticed how bright the stars were. She couldn't wait till the first big blizzard of the year. Derek elbowed her. "Come on, don't get frostbite. We have enough hospital bills thanks to you!"

Casey smiled and ran up to the house chasing after him. The play-fought for a couple minutes before Nora sent Casey up to her room to rest. Derek was forced to stay downstairs for a few minutes which upset Casey. She liked hanging out with Derek more than anything now. Casey thought back to that afternoon when she and Emily were talking about Derek in the stadium stands.

"Its amazing how you actually like spending time with Derek now." Emily had said, while she was eating some Cotton Candy she got from one of the vendors. "I remember when you and Derek hated each other."

"We hated each other?" Casey had said, wondering where this was coming from. She couldn't ever believe they had hated each other. Derek was way to nice. It made her think though. Was he just being nice to her because she couldn't remember the harms he had caused her.

It didn't matter though. She really enjoyed being with him. And she pointed this out to Emily. Of course Emily thought this was a funny thought. Who wouldn't?

Anyways, now Casey sat in her room and did her homework. She understood a lot of it thanks to Derek. She stopped though after a bit. She just couldn't focus. She ran a hand through her hair and made a mental note to wash it better the next day. She moved to sit in her window seat, and propped open the window. The cool night air cleared her mind. She closed her eyes and sat like that for a while, until she heard another window open.

Casey lifted one of her eyelids and saw Derek walk out onto the roof. He sat with his knees tucked under his chin for a while. Casey noticed how calm he was, and the wind in his hair made him look…what's the word…sexy?

Or was that a moral sin. Could you think that your stepbrother was sexy? Mid-contemplation Derek's eyes met with Casey's. He gave her a sly smile and beckoned her to join him. She reluctantly climbed out of her window with the help of his hand. The snow on the roof was shallow enough the Derek could just brush it off and make a spot for Casey to sit. He had a flannel blanket around his legs that Casey failed to notice before. She smiled and motioned towards it.

"Mr. Mountain-Man?" she asked him, with a playful tone. Or was it a flirtatious tone? Either way, he laughed and leaned backwards, with his hands under his head.

"Nah, I love coming out here but sometimes it just gets a bit too cold. You know?" Casey looked down.

"No, I don't know. I wish I did though." He looked at her and placed a hand on her knee. She leaned back also, sitting in the same position as Derek was. "Were we really not good friends back before…" she let the space between the conversation act as the words they both failed to say.

"Well," Derek started, pulling the blanket around her shoulders. "We weren't really anything but stepsiblings. We never talked, we just fought." Casey rubbed her fingers together and felt a pang in her chest. She felt stupid that she couldn't remember any of the fights. But in a way she was thankful she didn't. "But you know," Derek continued, snuggling under the blanket as well, "you and the old Casey aren't the same person."

Casey shot up, eyes bugging out. "Is that a bad thing?" Derek just laughed and pulled her back down to eye level, leaving his arm draped around her shoulder.

"Not at all." He said, looking into her eyes. His eyes were so beautiful, no matter what any other girl said. She heard some hockey groupies talking about how his eyes were brown because of all the crap he's said to them. She hoped that he wasn't giving her crap now. His voice broke her out of her thoughts. "Old Casey would never sit on the roof. She'd be too afraid she'd fall off. Old Casey would have been doing her homework right now." He looked up to the stars and then back to Casey. "And old Casey would never talk to me the way you talk to me."

Casey's heart thundered in her chest, causing her to sit up and look at the stars. She tried to change to subject, and yet failed miserably.

"Why don't we listen to some music?" Derek said, sensing the tension in Casey's muscles. Out of nowhere he pulled a boom box out. Casey's laughter shattered any tension that was in the room and made Derek stare at her funny. "Oh yeah?" he said, pulling her up, "well I just claimed you as my dance partner." She laughed and stood up.

Derek put a CD in the boom box. It shifted and spun until it came to a song: South America by Shout Out Louds. Casey laughed and danced along.

I'm so selfish

I'm so jealous

Are you out tonight?

I've been longing for the weekend

Did you see me in the back alley light?

And you don't know that things haven't been easy

And its time for you to see me

Are you out tonight?

Are you out tonight?

Derek could waltz, and he was waltzing with Casey. She couldn't believe it, even when he pulled her close and tucked her head in the spot where his shoulder bone and his skull connected. Casey loved that feeling, and loved it more when Derek spoke to her.

"You know." He whispered into her ear, tickling her. "You aren't the only one that's changed."


	8. Huit

**AN: I really do apologize for being gone for so long. I recently lost someone very close to me, and every time I sat down to write this story I would get very emotional. I think it was that our story was very similar to this story. I believe there was a time when I just didn't care about this story, but I know now that they would want me to continue. So I'm continuing, and please review to let me know that you are still listening to the broken-hearted girl. **

Huit-

Casey's eye flickered open. Was it really already morning? The light flickering through her closed windows reassured her thoughts. She sighed sitting up. She had a slight headache, which stood out even more as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. There was a knock on the door and Casey saw that Derek was standing there. Concerned smeared across his face like peanut butter on Marti's morning toast.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked, lifting her up. She held the side of her head and nodded, feeling as though her entire head was going to explode.

"What is today?" she asked him. A slow smile crept its way to Derek's mouth.

"Monday." He said. Three days after their little adventure. The last couple days have been a blur besides that moment in time. He tried to help her remember things that obviously once meant something to her, yet she couldn't remember it.

"That's probably why I don't feel so well." She smiled and shooed him away. If she was ever going to get ready she wouldn't be able to do so while he was in the room.

Her closet was a mess. Apparently the old Casey used to keep it clean. At least, that is what Lizzy told her yesterday when Casey was trying to find a pair of shoes. It was meant to be a joke, but Casey found that it felt like a knife had been stabbed through her heart. Couldn't her own family see that she was trying very hard to be the old Casey? Or at least, remember who the old Casey was?

Speaking of Lizzy, Lizzy walked into the room holding two identical tee-shirts. She had a very contemplative look on her face. "Which one should I wear Casey?" Lizzy asked, stumped by her own question.

Casey laughed an uneasy laugh. What would the old Casey say? "Wear the one you want Lizzy." Casey found that to be a safe answer, and Lizzy looked at both shirts a bit closer then sat down on Casey's bed, finally after making her decision.

"Hey Case." She asked, slipping the shirt over her head. "I have a question."

"I doubt I have the answer." Casey said, finding an outfit for herself also. "But you can ask and I can pretend I know an answer."

"You've been hanging out with Derek way too long." Lizzy said, in-between full belly laughs. Casey stared at Lizzy like she had offended her, causing Lizzy to laugh harder. Casey had to be careful though; Lizzy's laughs made her head throb harder. "O.k. so basically," Lizzie started, twirling a shoelace in-between her fingers. "What do you do when you like someone but you don't know if they like you back?"

"Well, seeing as I have so much experience in this department," Casey started, sitting down on the bed next to Lizzy. Being stationary reminded Casey of all her aches. "I would just show him how you feel."

Lizzy looked uneasy about Casey's decision. Casey tried to remember something that she read in one of Emily's magazines the past Saturday night. "Well, Seventeen Magazine says that if you send your crush signals, then they will pick up on them. And if they like you, then they will return them."

"Since when do you read Seventeen Magazine?" Lizzy asked playfully, jabbing her elbow into Casey's ribs. It hurt so bad, but Casey stifled her scream and instead put a smile on her face.

"Since Saturday night I guess." She said, pushing Lizzy off her bed. It took all her might, and she was basically trying to hide her grinding teeth as she did so. "Now run along and get fully dressed before mom gets up here and scolds you."

Lizzy laughed and turned towards the door. "That sounds like the Casey I used to know."

Casey ran over this remark in her mind. She was a goody-two shoes in the past? What would have possessed her to be like that? Maybe that's why everyone was so surprised that bad boy Derek Venturi was hanging out with her. Oh well, at least she was enjoying her time trying to figure out who she was.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Derek stomped down the stairs like he was impersonating some animals in Africa. Emily noticed this, as she was waiting for Casey to come downstairs. "What the heck Derek?" She asked, setting her Jane Austen Complete and Unabridged Collection of all 7 Novels down.

"Something is wrong with Casey and she is not telling me." Derek said, running a cool hand through his damp hair.

"Maybe she doesn't want to worry you." Emily said, switching into Dr. Emily stage. "I know that if I was trying to figure myself out, I wouldn't want to worry the people that aren't worried by my condition."

"But I am worried!" Derek said, wringing his hands. "Can she not see that? Do I need to show her?!"

He was exasperated and Emily saw this. Instead of giving him support, she sighed. "Derek, whatever you are doing now, you are doing the right thing. She does trust you, I just don't think that she wants to worry you. Anyways, don't you have the SAT's today?" **[AN: Sorry guys, if they don't take SAT's in Canada. I would assume they do though. . .**

Derek nodded his head, sending some water droplets onto Emily's book. She was startled and grabbed her book. "My baby!" she cried out, making Derek laugh. It loosened him up until Casey came down the stairs. She came down very slowly, as though she was afraid to go any faster because she was going to break. She even winced at the last stair.

"Head still hurting?" Derek asked, and Casey nodded. He handed her some aspirin he pulled out when he was upstairs early. She took them gratefully.

"Well are we going to school?" Casey said, edging towards the door. Derek laughed and pulled open the door.

"Sure you want to go?" he asked her and she nodded. He got close to her and put a piece of hair behind her ear. She looked up and he noticed how bright her eyes were. And they looked like they were in pain. He knew that he had to respect her though, and let her get in the car. Passenger's seat, of course.

"Will I ever be able to ride Shotgun again?" Emily asked jokingly.

"No," Derek and Casey said in unison, causing a full belly laugh from everyone in the car. Derek saw that Casey was holding her head as she did so, as if laughing hurt her whole body.

Derek peeled out of the driveway, slowly and carefully, then speeding down the road. The school was so close, but Derek made the ride enjoyable. They played one song, some song from the latest Guitar Hero game, and right at the end of the song the school came into view.

Derek pulled into his spot and immediately was surrounded by several girls. Casey got out with the help of Emily, who was now also worried about Casey. Derek broke through his little crowd and flagged Emily down before she entered the building.

"Watch Casey today. Please? I have a feeling that this 'headache' of hers isn't a headache after all." Derek pleaded while Emily nodded. Then the bell rang, signaling the beginning of the school day.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Lunch came before Casey was hungry, a rarity among all rarities. But she sat by Emily and picked at her lunch.

"Everything okay?" Emily said, with a full mouth.

"Yeah, I had a full breakfast." Casey lied. She just didn't feel like eating. Moving her mouth even hurt her body. Emily sent her an evil glare though, and so Casey got up to get some milk. Midway across the cafeteria, she met Derek's glance. He was sitting around a bunch of new girls and Sam. He raised his eyebrows at her. She just rolled her eyes and bought her milk. She spun around to walk back over to her seat when she noticed she moved to fast. Things began to get a little fuzzy and she reached for something, anything, to latch her hands onto. Derek saw this and jumped up, catching Casey as she fell. Her hands landed on his shoulders, head resting on his chest.

"Casey, whats wrong?" He asked with a stern tone.

"I…. think I'm…. okay." She said, but then she blacked out.


	9. Neuf

AN: Sorry for the delay! I was grounded from the internet and also my granddad had a heart attack so I went up to see him. Crazy life I have. Hope you enjoy. I had a lot of time to write this and I am just glad that I can finally upload it.

**PS I have a "website" I guess one could say. Its****www.luvs2smile4love. . ****If you have a deviantart account and you added me let me know so I can let the world know!**

**Also I've started another fanfiction. And this one won't be going on for much longer. I've already finished the next few chapters so send your reviews in and I'll get it up.**

**Ten and the next one comes!**

Neuf:

The sound of beeping woke Casey up. For a second she could have sworn that she was at home, Edwin testing his latest experiment on her. What else is new…

Except the fact that she was nowhere near home.

Like a bolt of lightening radiating from the sky, Casey shot up. She woke Derek, who was uncomfortably laying his head on her bed. He also sat up with a jolt, drool leaving his mouth and hitting the nearest machine.

"Where the heck am I?" Casey yelled, causing a flight of nurses to enter the room. When they saw that she was just waking up they paged one of the doctors that was working on her case. Derek grabbed her hand and for a split second Casey felt everything was going to be okay, until Derek opened his stupid big mouth.

"You are at the hospital. Case, do you remember what happened?"

Casey opened her mouth and her anger bubbled out in the form of words.

"NO! I CAN'T REMEMBER ANYTHING! ISN'T THAT THE PROBLEM?" Derek tried to comfort her but it seemed to make things worse.

"Casey, I came with you. I can tell you what is wrong."

"You left school?! How long ago was that?" Casey screamed. The nurses that had entered the room just looked with mystified faces. Was this the Casey McDonald that had always been so kind and walked in every Saturday after the soup kitchen to talk to all the patients without family? Well, seeing as the new Casey didn't remember the old Casey, they could only hope that she would slowly realize her mistakes.

"It was about three days ago." Derek said sheepishly.

"Three days?" It seemed that the new Casey only came with a decibal volume of four billion.

"Yeah." Derek was shifting his hands in a way that showed that he only really knew how to hold on to a hockey stick.

"That is three days that you need to make up. Do you know how hard that is going to be? I don't know what you've done in the past but what you've got to realize is that its going to take eons to get that work made up."

"I'll just copy Sam." Derek was trying to give her the most logical reason that he could think of. Only problem is that Derek couldn't think much.

"No go home." Casey said, in a nonchalant manner.

"I'm not leaving you."

"I'm making you." Casey looked into his deep brown eyes that were on the verge of tears.

"I don't want to leave you."

"Its not your choice." Casey's voice rang with anger. Derek sat there stunned at the new and aggressive Casey.

"Just leave Derek."

Derek looked at her and asked if that is what she wanted.

"Just leave me alone."

The doctor came in at the same moment that Derek left.

"Casey McDonald?" he said, as if he was unsure of the new girl he saw now. A headstrong girl that didn't want her stepbrother around her.

Because it was scary enough as it was to worry about herself, let alone another person.

The strong smell of the evergreens outside Casey's window was the only thing that was left in the room.

"That's what it says on this nifty tag you've wrapped around my wrist." Casey said, sitting back in her bed. The fight knocked all the energy out of her. "I have yet to figure out the truth."

"We have an understanding that you fell." The doctor said. "Do you remember what happened?"

Casey sighed loudly. "Why does everyone ask me if I remember? Isn't that the problem I'm having to begin with?"

The doctor sat down right next to Casey. "We don't think that the accident caused your amnesia. We think its something more serious." He must have noticed the sudden withdraw of all color from Casey's cheeks. "Don't be scared. We've been known for our advancement in this area. I just want you to know that we have all the technology that is needed for us to operate properly."

"Operate on what exactly?" Casey asked, somewhat aggravated at this doctor. Did he expect for her to automatically know what was going on?

"We believe that you have a brain tumor."

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Everyone in Derek's life has told him that it was unsafe to drive while angry. And intoxicated. At one time he agreed with them, but now its different.

He wished that he was both, instead of the first.

He sighed angrily as he weaved in between cars that were moving below seventy miles an hour. He clutched the steering wheel like his life depended on it.

How reliable had this steering wheel been in the last year? His father used this car and avoided several accidents. If only Casey could have been driving in this car instead.

But if she had been driving in this car then she would have never lost Max. Or her memory. She wouldn't have needed Derek to rescue her.

She wouldn't have told Derek that she loved him.

Derek stopped at a stoplight and tapped the steering wheel in anticipation for a green light. Was this really worth all the hassle? Would she ever remember how much she loved him?

Would he ever be able to return the saying?

It was one more street before their own. As he turned onto the street he saw that his dad was home early from work. Lately he had been working extra hours to make up for all the hospital bills and time he spent out of work because of Casey.

His Casey.

He shook his head to rid her from his thoughts. She didn't want him around.

The only girl on the entire planet that wished him to not be around her.

How strange.

He clicked the button to lock the doors to his car and ran up the stairs into the house.

He loved that no lights were on. The kitchen door was closed and he could have sworn that he heard whispering in the room. Typical Derek could not avoid listening in.

"What are we going to do?" It was Nora's worried voice. He heard the sniffle and new that she was also crying.

"We can't do anything but believe what the doctor says is right. Have we got another choice?"

"She's already been through so much. This could be her last straw. And what if…" Nora's voice cut off with one of her wails. Derek could hear his father scoot his chair closer to Nora.

"Shhh. It will all work out. She's tough and headstrong." George let out an awkward laugh. "Now more than ever."

Derek couldn't help himself. He had to open the doors and interject. Too bad that it started Nora and George out of their wits.

"What is going on with Casey?" Derek asked, aggravated that once again she was the topic of discussion.

Nora looked at George who mumbled something until she nudged him.

"The doctor called while you were gone. It is believed that Casey has a…tumor growing…in her brain."

Right then Marti pranced down the stairs as a ballerina. "Yuck! Like the stuff that Edwin was looking at in the cafeteria at school?"

Derek scooped up his sister. "No, that's the mystery meat lunch. And what were you doing in the Cafeteria at his school."

"So whats a tumor?" Marti asked, and Derek thought.

"Its like a giant bulge of mess growing in her brain." He kept it G for General just for Marti.

"Does it mean that she is going to die?" Marti asked.

This time Derek didn't have an answer for her.

"Guys." Derek said, as he set Marti back down onto the ground. "I am going to leave for a little bit. I'll be back by curfew."

Nora and George nodded. What else were they going to do?

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Derek sped down the same road he was just on, only about twenty miles per hour faster. A cop saw him and went to pull him over but Derek was no match for this particular Fuzz. It seemed that all the cop's donut eating had interfered with is ability to drive a car.

Derek pulled into the hospital parking lot and parked in a handicapped parking lot. Wasn't everyone in the hospital handicapped in some way or another?

He also didn't have the patience for the elevator either. He jogged up fifteen flights of stairs until he reached Casey's floor.

And when he entered the room, he was met by a startling sight.

Casey had her tumor-filled head laying on her knees. Her chest was rising and falling normally, except the occasional hiccup every now and then.

After a few moments, Derek spoke. "Case?" He said, quietly to mind the neighbors.

She sat up and surprised Derek again. Tears soaked every place he could see, and her face was redder than the geraniums in the vase next to her. He raced over her and handed her a tissue from the Kleenex box next to the bed.

"Casey, I heard." Derek said, and stretched an arm around her frail body.

"Its no surprise. You hear a lot."

"I don't hear your yelling." She shot him a look. "Not like I want you to or anything."

A struggling smile appeared on her face.

"What am I going to do?" she said, closing her eyes and burying her face in her hands.

"First," Derek said, after a long pause. "You are going to lean over here so I can give you a hug. Then you are going to let me worry about this. You just need to focus about getting better."

Casey took her head out of her hands and placed it on Derek's shoulder. He wrapped his arms fully around her. He could feel her heart beating rapidly. He could only assume his was doing the same thing.

"You've made my life better Derek. I just only wish I could remember all the good times we've had before this." Casey said finally, eyes on the verge of closing.

"The times now are the ones that I want to remember most though." Derek said, eyes closing themselves. He leaned back onto her pillow and she snuggled closer.

"Was it ever better than this?" She said, feeling his warm scent fill the air around her and engulf her in a hug unlike any other.

"Never." He took a whiff of her hair, smelling like hospital generic shampoo. He's never smelt anything more wonderful.

He murmured to himself as the fell asleep. "Yet every time with you has been nothing short of perfect."


	10. Dix

AN: Hey guys! I got the reviews and keep them coming! I am going to wrap this story up in a few more chapters, unless there is a protest. Uh oh, please no! HAHA! Just kidding.

So here we go!

Dix:

Derek's pacing filled the halls. He was waiting for news of what happened in her room. It wasn't till he looked up was it that he saw Emily had been watching him.

"Nervous?" she asked him, a weak smile playing on her face. She held two coffees and held one out to him. He took it gratefully and sat down in the plastic chairs that provided no comfort.

"Can you believe how this is going?" Derek said, rubbing the rim of his coffee cup with his finger.

"No." Emily said. A tear flew down from her eye. "But it is amazing how this drew so many people together."

In a whirlwind Derek and Emily's lips met, but not for long. Derek pulled away, aghast. He stood up, faster than anything else, and turned towards her.

"What was that!" he said, wiping the sparks from his lips.

Emily looked down. "What, you didn't feel it too?"

After somewhat of a long pause, Derek spoke. "I'm sorry Emily, but I don't feel the same way." He sat down in a chair opposite of her.

"Then explain yourself!" she yelled slightly, drawing a bit of attention to their area. She lowered her voice but still spoke up.

"You haven't had a girlfriend in what seems like forever. You suddenly become a better man when this happens to Casey and you start adding her more and more to your life. Am I crazy or are you trying to be one with your stepsis?"

Derek looked down shamefully at the accusations Emily made. Was he really changing from old Derek to new Derek in hopes of winning her heart? Why was he doing this if he was unsure whether or not she would ever wake?

"You are right Em." He said, astonishing her. "I have changed."

And with that, he left the hospital in a huff.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

When Casey woke, everything was a blur. Her vision was shaking and she could only hear bits and pieces of the conversation going around her.

"We successfully got most of the tumor out, and with the help of radiation therapy and a vaccine, we can look at a 1 chance of it coming back."

It was Nora's voice that Casey heard next.

"And her memory?"

The doctor was silent for a moment. "We are still unsure whether the brain tumor had anything to do with the memory loss. We are still sure though that she will get her memory back, and hopefully with this tumor gone we will get better results as well."

Casey sighed in her mind. She was now so unsure of her ever getting her memory back.

The doctor left the room and Nora sat down beside Casey. Casey did her mom a favor and opened her eyes a bit wider.

She could see that Nora had been crying. Casey gave her mother her hand, the one full of IV tubes.

"Everything will be okay." Casey said. "I will eventually get my memory back. Its just a matter of time."

Nora nodded. They sat that way for a while and then Casey spoke again.

"Is Derek here?" Casey asked. Nora shook her head no, and Casey was disappointed.

"He went home when you were halfway through your surgery. I bet he was just tired sweetie. I'll bring him by later."

Casey nodded and slipped off into dream land.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

It was a few more days before Casey was allowed home. With the successfulness of her surgery, they only made her stay a bit longer in the hospital.

Casey sure was glad too, because she was an inch away from going insane.

When she came home there were balloons everywhere, and even some of Casey's newfound obsession, birthday cake with whip cream frosting.

But something was missing.

Derek was not there. She hadn't seen him in days and she was beginning to wonder if she bothered him too much with her issues. Was it her fault though that she had this stupid condition?

Casey ate her cake alone and then walked upstairs to be by herself. Everyone understood. They all thought that she was just extremely tired. She let them believe this.

Right before she entered her room she heard music coming from Derek's room. Had he been home the entire time and just didn't bother to come downstairs? How could he be so mean?

She burst open the door and saw Derek sitting out on the roof. He wasn't alone. He was making out with some blonde girl from Casey's fifth period class.

She stood there in shock for a good two minutes before Derek noticed she was there.

She didn't wait to here anything from him. Instead she just closed the door and went to her room.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Derek had seen the hurt in Casey's eyes. Maybe he was so busy in forgetting his new self that he cut off what he enjoyed the most.

Spending time with Casey.

He spent a few more moments with his new conquest before asking her to leave. She just gave him a sultry wink and let him go.

He walked over to Casey's room and knocked on the door. The music's volume increased dramatically with every knock. Derek finally just grabbed the key from the top of the door frame and let himself in.

Casey was laying on her bed in a snow angel formation. Her eyes were closed and red. It broke his heart to see that she had been crying and something inside him wanted him to go and reconcile with her.

She didn't let him talk though. She opened her mouth, eyes still closed.

"Now it makes sense. Why you blew me off. You were extremely 'busy' weren't you?"

"You know that it wasn't like that Case." Derek said.

Casey sat up and opened her big blue eyes to the world. "I do know that? How can you assume that I know that when I don't even know half the people in this house? Or know half of the things that I used to do? Good job Derek. I'm glad that you think I know something. I'll remember that next time I walk in on you and your next victim. Now if you don't mind I really want to sleep off this bad dream."

She stood up and shut the door in Derek's face.

And he had never been so hurt in his life.

Too bad he didn't know that Casey felt the same exact way.


	11. Onze

AN: Sorry this took so long to get out. I was grounded from the internet. deep sigh

Lizzie and Edwin make an appearance. Along with someone else.

Or other gang people.

Whoops, did I say that outloud?

You are going to have to wait to see.

Listen to Passenger Seat by Death Cab For Cutie while you read this. Repeat the song multiple times.

Please. :

Onze:

Casey and Derek avoided each other like the plague. They, in fact, came up with a routine in order to avoid each other. It was pathetic and so fourth grade, but it worked for the time being.

That was, until Nora and George's anniversary.

All the children in the house knew it was coming. Nora and George would repeatedly slip off downstairs and giggle like little school children. It was like a honeymoon all over again.

George let it slip one night at dinner that he and Nora would be taking a vacation the night of Derek and Casey's Junior-Senior Prom. Forks dropped and mouths opened, but George reassured them that they would find coverage in the form of a babysitter so that they wouldn't have to stay in that night.

"Good thing to." Derek said, putting on his face. "Because I already bought a ticket and picked out my arm candy."

"But what about a tux Derek?" Nora asked, quite politely, as if to tell him to go with Casey.

"Oh no worries mom." Casey said, looking up at Derek. "He has the ability to do things oh so suddenly."

With that they both stood, awkwardly at first, and then walking out of the room.

Nora pushed her food around on her plate.

"Well, at least things are back to normal."

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

It wasn't until a day before she left that Nora realized nothing was the same. Maybe it was how neither of the children were talking to each other.

Or maybe it was because she and George had to rent two limos.

"This is an outrage!" George yelled, right after Nora gathered both Casey and Derek from their hideouts. "I am not spending this much money so you guys can go separately. Its either together or no limo at all."

"But Dad!" Derek spoke first, before Casey could even form a brain-to-mouth correspondence. "We can't do that!"

"Too bad. Now go to your rooms."

Casey trotted up the stairs in disappointment. She had to talk to someone. That's when she saw Lizzie walking to her room.

"Lizzie!" Casey called out, and surprise filled her sister's face. "Wait up!"

They were in Lizzie's room before Casey could even say something else.

"This is a surprise." Lizzie said, sitting on her bed. "I haven't really talked to you much since…" Neither of them spoke. They both knew the pain of saying those words. Casey did it anyway though.

"Since the night I came home from the hospital after the accident." Lizzie nodded, head hung solemnly. "I want to apologize." Casey said, sitting next to her sister.

"There is no need." Lizzie said, after a silence of only three seconds. "I understand. I have no idea what I would do if I were in your shoes. It's bad enough that you dealt with Derek before, with his mean comebacks and flirty aspects."

"It wasn't that bad." Casey interjected. "I didn't mind his company all that much."

"Oh please." Lizzie said. "You used to hate him."

"I don't believe that." Casey replied, rubbing her hands together.

"Yeah you did. In fact, the only time I ever saw you nervous really around him was when you stole his binder for class and left your sticky notes in there."

"Really?" Casey said. "When was this?"

"The day before your accident." Lizzie looked up at Casey, anxious to change the topic. It was silence before she spoke again. "Hey Case." Lizzie said, now imitating Casey's hand gestures. "How do you know you are in love?"

"Casey was surprised and laughed at her little sister. "I wouldn't know. But I can assume that I was in love with Max. And that I was in love with Sam. I guess you would just have to know."

"Thanks Casey." Lizzie said, as Casey stood to exit. "Don't forget to talk every once in a while."

Casey nodded and left the room.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Prom was slow to arrive, but in time it did. None of the McDonald-Venturi household was prepared correctly, and in time they also noticed this. Casey scrambled around last minute, looking for everything, making sure she had everything. She took one last look in the mirror and finally calmed down.

She was wearing a light blue colored dress that brought out the color in her eyes, along with some gold shoes that were ready to come off the second she got in the door. She pulled off a sticky note from the mirror, left previously by the old Casey.

_Make sure to call Max before dance in order to make sure he got the correct corsage._

"Well," Casey said quietly. "I don't need to worry about that anymore now do I?" There was a knock at the door and Casey turned as it opened.

"Hey! Don't you look stunning!" Sam said. He agreed to be her date last minute, which was much to Casey's happiness.

"Hey, not to shabby yourself!" Casey said, adjusting his bowtie. Sam looked down and saw the sticky note in her hand and snatched it before Casey could say anything. He read it, with sorrow in his eyes.

"Its okay Case. You don't need to worry about that anymore." He embraced her in a hug before pushing her out the door. "Before I make you cry that pretty makeup off lets hightail it out of here."

Casey laughed and followed him down the stairs.

Nora and George were waiting by the door, talking to the taxi driver that would escort them to the airport. They both gaped when they saw Sam and Casey come down the stairs.

"You guys are the most perfect couple!" Nora said first, then gathered some words to follow. "Just look at the way your outfits fit together. Let me get a picture!"

"Now Nora, if we grab pictures we will be late for our flight." George said, pushing his wife out the door."

"Alright, you kids have fun." Nora said, silently closing the door behind her.

"Well, now that we are alone…" Derek said, with a sly smile on his face, as he grabbed his brunette date in his arms.

"Shut up." Emily and Sam said together, and then looked down. It was awkward before the babysitter walked into the room.

"Alright, you kids have fun." She said, pushing a short streak of purple behind her ear.

"Didn't Nora just tell us that?" Derek asked, trying to be all macho in front of his date.

"Lets just go." Sam said, as he pushed Casey out the door.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Many people other than just Casey and Derek had long waited for the Junior-Senior Prom. In fact, even the football players came out of their funk in order to help out the planning committee.

So Casey and Derek were not surprised to find that there was a huge crowd at the door.

The surprising factor was that a good majority of these people were already drunk.

"What the hell." Sam said, running a hand through his hair. "Couldn't they wait just a few more hours?"

"No," Casey laughed, holding Sam's hand to get out of the car. "If they would have waited they may have had a good time."

This made Sam laugh and they walked together up to the door, but they never made it.

"Hey Casey." One of the footballers slurred. "What's up?"

"Nothing." Casey said, reaching to step over him. "Just ready to party."

"Oh yeah?" the guy said, stepping back in Casey's way. "Don't you think you've been partying a bit too much since Max died?"

"What?" Derek answered for Casey. "Why don't you just go and drink your booze on the other side of the yellow brick road?"

"Because," the guy said. "I have a few more questions to ask Casey."

"Like what?" Derek pushed Casey behind him. "Will you get me a cab? Because I can just as easily do that one."

"I'm not leaving." The football jerk got into Derek's face.

"What do you want?" Casey said, tying her arms together in hopes of warding the footballer off.

"What were Max's last words?" he asked. Casey couldn't answer, obviously infuriating the footballer. He spat more questions at her.

"Just leave her alone." Sam said, pulling Casey into his arms. She was crying by this point. She couldn't answer any of his questions.

"Why?" The footballer wasn't alone. There were at least fifteen others joining in his rally against Casey, one of which was Kendra. "She was the one that made us lose Max."

"I didn't do anything!" Casey said. She understood now, all the weird looks in the hallway. They resented her because Max died.

"That's what you say." Kendra said.

"Leave me alone." Casey said. "I just want to have fun."

They were swarming her now, and it was making her head spin. Three other girls in identical dresses to Kendra followed, pushing Casey up against a wall.

"You aren't wanted." They repeated, and Casey was wondering where this was coming from.

"Casey!" Sam and Derek's voices were far away now. Casey pushed Kendra, but she was way too close.

"Why do you resent me?" Casey whispered in Kendra's ear, trying to toughen her skin.

"You killed the one I loved," Kendra said. "I loved Max. He was planning on breaking up with you. We were together for almost as long as you were. I'll never forget that you killed him."

Casey pushed one last time and broke away from Kendra, and ran into the horizon, pushing the voices behind her.


End file.
